Clever 12volt garden power supplies for lighting ?

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Mark

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#255977 9-Sep-2019 11:13

I'd like to get some pretty garden lights setup and want something that can use a 12v battery but is smart enough not to drain the battery flat (I can put in a little solar charging setup to get the battery charged up everyday), just wondering if such things exist.

Dynamic

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#2313482 9-Sep-2019 11:24

I've got a cheap solar controller that does this.... something very much like this.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/caravans-motorhomes/parts-accessories/solar-panels-accessories/listing-2306696472.htm

When the battery voltage falls to a certain level, the load gets cut off. I believe that level is adjustable. In my case, I've never flattened the battery to that level for it to kick on.

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Mark

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#2313509 9-Sep-2019 11:50

Ahh .. I was overthinking things :-) I forgot most charge controllers also have a load output! That'll probably work very nicely Thanks!

raytaylor

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#2318310 15-Sep-2019 23:16

Make sure you can adjust the low voltage disconnect, or better still just get a dedicated low voltage disconenct device

https://www.jaycar.co.nz/battery-discharge-protector/p/AA0262

Then you can turn up the disconnect voltage - most solar controllers are set at about 20-30% by default and draining below 50% for a standard sealed lead acid battery will start to shorten its life, so by turning up the cut-off voltage setting to say 12v you will get many more cycles out of the battery.

Otherwise a solar controller with adjustable disconnect settings will work very well. Many such as the epever tracer (rebranded as jaycar powertech MP3741) have steetlamp timer functions built in based on the solar panel acting as a light sensor.

Ray Taylor

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